May 15, 2019
On World Press Freedom Day, at the address of the firebombed house in Vrcin of Žig info portal journalist Milan Jovanovic, a lawsuit arrived that had been filed by former president of the Belgrade suburban municipality of Grocka, Dragoljub Simonović, who was himself charged with ordering last December’s burning of Jovanović’s house.
Apart from Jovanović, Simonović has also sued ‘Žig info’ portal editor Željko Matorcević and former Grocka municipal inspector Srecko Vasić, who appears as an interviewee in articles published on this site.
In the name of psychological pain endured, Simonović is seeking damages totalling around three thousand dollars be paid by the defendants due to psychological pain inflicted.
This local site published articles that drew attention to scandals involving the former municipal president. Following the fire attack that destroyed his home completely, Jovanović said that this was an act of revenge by Simonović in response to articles about his work.
Interestingly, 10 days after the fire that burned down Jovanović’s house, the Assembly of the City of Belgrade adopted a proposal to rename the street in Vrcin that’s home to both Jovanović and Simonović as “Brace Simonović” [Brothers Simonović] Street. The street is named after Dragoljub Simonović, who has been charged with ordering the attack, and his brothers. They will continue to live in the street that has been renamed after them.
